TERRE HAUTE, IN ? The Indiana State University Sycamore volleyball team will be playing four games in two days this weekend and then have a short turnaround before their home opener next Tuesday.
“We are very excited to get this season underway,” Traci Dahl, Indiana State head volleyball coach said. “The girls have been working hard. We are going up against some pretty tough competition, teams that are in the upper division of their respective conferences. It will be a very good learning experience for the team.”
The Sycamores will be playing in the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational at Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky. Indiana State takes on the host Eagles at 11 a.m. Friday. Indiana State will then take on the Lipscomb Lady Bisons at 4:30 p.m. to wrap up their first day of competition.
The second day begins with their final game of the Invitational as they play the Western Illinois Westerwinds at 11:30 a.m. Live stats for all three Indiana State games in the Invitational will be available at the Morehead State athletic website: http://msueagles.com. Live video of the matches will not be available.
The Sycamores will then travel to Louisville, Ky., for a 7 p.m. match against the Cardinals. Live stats and video will be available at the Louisville athletic website: http://uoflsports.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/sched/lou-w-volley-sched.html
Morehead State lost just one player from the 2007 team that finished 22-12 overall and tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 15-5 record. The Eagles lost to Tennessee State in the OVC championship game, just missing an opportunity to advance to the NCAA tournament.
With 11 letter winners returning and 90 percent of its starters, Morehead has been picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference this season with seniors Katelyn Barbour and Erin Peak named to the pre-season All-OVC first-team and senior Ashley Doscher named to the pre-season All-OVC second-team.
This will be the sixth meeting between the two schools with each team winning two and one match ending in a tie, that occurring in 1978 (1-1).The Sycamores have won the last two meetings, defeating the Eagles 3-2 in 1997 and 3-2 in 2002.
Lipscomb University has just two starters returning from a 2007 team that finished 20-12 overall and 7-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Eagles won the conference tournament but lost to Dayton 3-0 in their first ever match in the NCAA tournament.
The Lady Bisons have been ranked second in the Atlantic Sun Conference in the pre-season poll of ASC coaches, the highest ever pre-season ranking for Lipscomb. Sophomore Jake Pease was chosen as a member of the pre-season All-ASC team.
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Western Illinois returns four starters from the 2007 team that finished 15-16 overall and tied for fourth in The Summit League with an 11-5 record.
The Westerwinds were picked fourth in The Summit League in the pre-season conference poll of coaches.
Indiana State trails the series with Western Illinois 9-12, the last meeting coming in 2000 when the Sycamores prevailed 3-0. Indiana State has won the last two meetings as they also defeated WIU 3-2 in 1991.
Louisville returns four starters from their 2007 team that finished 22-8 overall and tied for first in the Big East Conference with a 13-1 record. The Cardinals lost 2-3 to Middle Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville has been tabbed as the favorite in the Big East this season, just ahead of defending champion St. John's. Seniors Lecia Brown, Tatyana Kolesnikova and Jana Matiasovska are on the All-Big East pre-season team. Brown led the NCAA in blocks last year.
This is the 12th meeting of the two schools with Louisville holding a 7-4 advantage over Indiana State. The last meeting came in 1991 when the Sycamores fell 0-3.
PLAYER NOTES
Sycamore senior defensive specialist Kristy Cox has been putting her name into the Indiana State record book since she first set foot on campus. The 5-foot-6 senior from Muncie, Ind., is currently third in career digs with 1,296, Cheryl Berg (1998-2001) tops the list with 1,713 digs while Kelly Spisak (2001-2004) is second with 1,422.
Cox also appears twice in the Top Ten in single season digs, posting 525 during the 2006 season (second) and 428 during the 2007 campaign (sixth). Spisak still holds down the number one spot with 595 digs during the 2004 season.
Senior setter Alisha Polite led the 2007 team in set assists with 551 and posted two triple-doubles during the season, one of just two Missouri Valley Conference players to accomplish that feat. Polite was 10th in the MVC in set assists and ranked 281st nationally. Polite was also 25th in the Valley in service aces with 19.
Polite is currently ninth on the Sycamore career set assist list with 862, passing Christina Marx (1999-2002) who had 824 in her career at Indiana State. She has a chance this year to surpass Laura Hearne (1984-1986) who had 1,418 in her career as a Sycamore.
The senior from Valparaiso, Ind., was also third on the team in digs with 191.
SYCAMORES BY THE NUMBERS
Indiana State lost 19 straight matches to conclude the 2007 season with a 3-23 record, going winless in the Missouri Valley Conference at 0-18. The Sycamores did post a rare home win, although the match was played in the Hulman Center and not the normal home of Indiana State Volleyball, the ISU Arena, with a 3-1 victory over Chicago State. The last victory of 2007 was a 3-2 win over East Tennessee State at the West Virginia Invitational, which made the Sycamores 3-4 at that point.
The Sycamores have not won a Missouri Valley Conference game since a 3-1 victory over Drake, which was their last victory in the ISU Arena, in the 2006 season.
In fact, in the past three seasons, Indiana State has won just eight games, seven on the road and one at home. The Sycamores have lost 31 straight Valley matches, 16 straight home Valley matches, and 28 straight Valley road matches.
A NEW COACH - A NEW ATTITUDE
A change in leadership was sought after the 2007 season and the Sycamores were able to secure an outstanding former collegiate player to come turn the tide of Sycamore volleyball fortunes.
Traci Dahl, a 1994 All-American and a member of the 1993 National Champion Long Beach State team, took the reigns as the ninth Indiana State volleyball coach on Feb. 4, 2008. Since the moment she stepped into the ISU Arena, a change in the wind could be felt.
Dahl gathered up the team and worked them hard through spring practice, playing in four tournaments throughout the month of April. As each day passed and each game was played in tournament action, Dahl could see the Sycamores coming together as a team and their individual skills improve.
The new Sycamore coach did not promise a quick turnaround for Indiana State but did foresee that the Sycamores would begin that climb up the standings ladder and be competitive in a highly competitive Missouri Valley Conference.
OPENING UP THE HOME SEASON
After four games on the road, the Indiana State Sycamores will open the home portion of their schedule next Tuesday when they host the Eastern Illinois University Panthers.
The Sycamores have not won a home opener since they defeated the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the first round of their own season opening tournament in 2003. The last non-tournament home opening win came in 2001 when Indiana State defeated Southern Illinois 3-0.
Eastern Illinois also opens in tournament action this weekend, playing in the North Carolina Central University tournament against NCCU, Campbell and Houston Baptist.
The Sycamores and Panthers have met 37 times since 1977 with Eastern Illinois holding a 26-11 advantage in the series. Eastern Illinois defeated Indiana State 3-1 in the Eastern Illinois Invitational last year. The Sycamores have not won against the Panthers since 1996 when ISU prevailed 3-1 at home.
